Iucn Bat Specialist Group Newsletter
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IUCN BAT SPECIALIST GROUP NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1 NOVEMBER 2014 CHALLENGES IN BAT CONSERVATION: A WORLDWIDE PERSPECTIVE Dear Readers, It is a pleasure to introduce the first issue of the IUCN Bat Specialist Group Newsletter. Our aim is to inform the BSG community about the status and major threats of bats, as well as conservation and policy efforts to recover and maintain bat populations around the world. We hope you enjoy the reading, Maria Sagot, Editor of the IUCN Bat Specialist Group Newsletter BSG EDITORIAL BOARD BSG CO-CHAIRS LATIN AMERICA AND THE Prof. Dr. Paul Racey CARIBBEAN University of Exeter in Cornwall Bs. Luis R. Víquez Rodríguez Cornwall, England Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Email: [email protected] México México DF, México Prof. Dr. Rodrigo Medellín Email: [email protected] Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México NORTH AMERICA México DF, México Prof. Dr. Winifred Frick Email: [email protected] University of California Santa Cruz x California, United States Email: [email protected] WEB MASTER Dr. Allyson Walsh OCEANIA San Diego ZOO California, United States Dr. Colin O’Donnell Email: [email protected] New Zealand Department of Conservation Wellington, New Zealand Email: [email protected] EDITOR IN-CHIEF Prof. Dr. Maria Sagot SOUTHEAST ASIA State University of New York at Oswego New York, United States Prof. Dr. Faisal Ali Anwarali Email: [email protected] Khan Universiti Malaysia Sarawak AFRICA Sarawak, Malaysia Email: [email protected] Ms. Iroro Tanshi University of Benin Benin, Nigeria Email: [email protected] EUROPE Ms. Daniela Hamidović State Institute for Nature Protection Zagreb, Croatia Email: [email protected] Cover Photos: Colin O’Donell, Tigga Kingston and Iroro Tanshi. CONTENT EDITORIAL AFRICA 1. Bat Conservation Africa: A voice for African bats EUROPE 2. UNEP/EUROBATS – 20 Years of targeted and successful Conservation LATIN AMERICA 3. Important Areas and Sites for Bat Conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean (AICOMs and SICOMs) NORTH AMERICA 4. Conservation of North American Bats OCEANIA 5. Challenges of bat conservation in Oceania SOUTHEAST ASIA 6. The Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit EDITORIALCONTENT Editorial failures. We are open to suggestions as to how best to increase By Rodrigo Medellín12 and Paul communication. This first issue is a Racey13 good example of why we chose Roald Dahl`s quote to open our piece: we would like to introduce the "There are no strangers in here, just editorial team to all of you as friends you haven't met..." friends you have not yet met, and — Roald Dahl also the authors who contributed with their efforts to show what great Communication is not the progress we are all making in the prerogative of humans, to be sure. protection of bats across the world. Virtually all species in the world Take, for example, Colin O’Donnell’s communicate. Many use chemical wonderful article on conservation in means, others electrical, acoustic, Oceania; a continent facing severe visual or tactile. A few use syntax in challenges such as overexploitation their communication, such as for food, roost disturbance, or exotic hyraxes, birds, and whales. But we invasive species. Or consider the humans are unique in our ability to piece by Luis Aguirre and Rubén communicate. Communicating can be Barquez on the Areas of Importance easily considered the single most for the Conservation of Bats, an common conscious activity all initiative of RELCOM, the Latin humans conduct every day. From the American Network for Bat baby demanding milk by crying, to Conservation that spearheads hands- the use of internet, text messages, on prioritization to protect critical or drums across forests, we humans areas for bats. Iroro Tanshi’s piece have felt the need to communicate on Bat Conservation Africa, a much- and the urge to maximize needed new network across Africa communication since our origin. that is a clear promise of great Today, the Bat Specialist Group of advances in bat conservation across IUCN’s Species Survival Commission that huge continent No doubt, many is embarking in a new of you will find this and the rest of communication adventure: we are the stories inspiring and helpful for launching a Newsletter! This new your own challenges. effort is in line with our strategy to The Bat Specialist Group provide a vehicle to learn about today is a growing, vibrant institution other bat conservation efforts across with lots of new blood, young the world. Ideally we would like to professionals, and great energy. We knit a network of bat conservation cannot over-stress how important it professionals working on similar is to bring in new life, innovative, challenges and sharing their creative ideas and energies into bat approaches, successes, lessons, and conservation. As we all know, bats EDITORIALCONTENT face severe threats across the world. SEABCRU, a growing network in southeast Asia, is another example of these multinational networks that so effectively are making strides towards conserving bats. As we move on to strengthening the network of members of the BSG, we would like to invite you to reach out across the ocean, across land, across mountains, and contact unmet friends who may be facing challenges similar to those you face. Who knows? This may lead to new, exciting collaborations, enhanced learning about other bats, other countries, other friends, and in the end, and most importantly, to improving the conservation status of bats, the goal that unites us all!!! Please take a moment and read all the articles in the Newsletter. You will meet new friends! 1Co-Chairs, Bat Specialist Group 2Instituto de Ecología, UNAM 3University of Exeter in Cornwall CONTENTAFRICA 1. Bat Conservation Africa: A Steering Committee to plan the first voice for African bats African Bat Conservation summit, was perfect timing. With support By Iroro Tanshi from a long list of organisations, BCI covered the cost of attendance for When 40 bat researchers and all the participants, and distributed conservationists met in Naivasha, an essential library resource - Kunz Kenya over one intensive week for and Parsons, 2009. Drawing from the first summit on bat conservation existing models of continental in Africa, they had one goal, save networks, such as Red African Bats! This unprecedented Latinoamericana para la meeting gave rise to Bat Conservacion de los Murciélagos Conservation Africa, a network of (RELCOM), Southeast Asia Bat researchers and conservationists Conservation and Research Unit working on African bats. Home to (SEABCRU), Chiroptera Conservation over 20% of the world’s bat species, and Information Network of South Africa boasts a diversity of over 250 Asia (CCINSA) and Australian Bat species. Society (ABS), the network is African In addition to limited local led. capacity, the few dedicated and Bat Conservation Africa seeks experienced individuals in African bat to provide a communication platform research and conservation used to for bat workers in Africa, to ensure work in isolation. This translated into information sharing, collaboration for few bat conservation initiatives, research and conservation, capacity raising the threat level for such an building, education, and policy underrepresented group. Indeed, advocacy. Our mission is to facilitate Professor Paul Racey’s statement bat research and conservation action about Africa being “a conservation in Africa, providing a network open void” captured the situation aptly. to all bat conservation workers in Thus, when Bat Conservation the continent. International (BCI) pulled together a Launching the network has CONTENTAFRICA helped to tackle the isolation Conservation, Bat Interest Group of problem between bat workers across KwaZulu Natal (South Africa) and the the continent, with a growing Gauteng and Northern Regions Bat network of international collaborators. Interest Group (South Africa), We have maintained communication AfricanBats, AfriBats, Eidolon through a mailing list, a website Monitoring Network and many other (www.batconservationafrica.net) and a conservation projects. Facebook page, which allows It is easy to see that with the exchange of ideas between members. launch of BCA, bat conservation in This has resulted in multiple Africa now has a spring board and collaborations on a range of new the only way to fly is higher. The and different projects. Also, we are kind support of all individuals invited currently building a strategy to by BCI to execute the summit where develop local capacity in bat the network was launched is highly research and conservation across appreciated. Indeed, the network the continent. would be non-existent without the In line with the capacity commitments of: Andy Walker, Dave building strategy, Rufford Foundation Waldien, Cullen Geiselman, Chris offered a grant to BCA through one Woodruff, Bob Locke, Paul Racey, of our partners, Harrison Institute, Paul Webala, Jakob Fahr, Ara Sevenoaks to distribute copies of Monadjem, Julie Hanta the recently published Mammals of Razafimanahaka, Rodrigo Medellin, Africa (Kingdon et al., 2013) to Bruce Patterson, Paul Bates, Kyle individuals and 40 institutions across Armstrong and all the 42 Africa. The project is being participants at the summit. The administered by the Harrison network is grateful for the generous Institute and coordinated by Dr. donations from the following David Happold. The book project organisations: demonstrates how collective efforts of such dedicated individuals within the network